A year ago, we thought we’d see John Hillcoat‘s The Wettest County by the end of 2011. By the end of last year, we had a new release date: April 20. Now it seems we’ll have to wait even longer, as The Weinstein Co. has pushed the opening back again, this time to August 31. It’s disappointing news, not only because we’re eager to see the film but also because it’s a date that suggests the studio isn’t giving it much of a chance. Labor Day weekend is generally one of the slowest of any given year, and it’s usually a bad sign for a movie when the studio dumps it into that slot.

Based on “mostly true” events, Hillcoat’s historical drama centers around a group of brothers (Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, and Jason Clarke) who get into the bootlegging business in Prohibition-era Virginia. Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, Guy Pearce, and Gary Oldman also star. More after the jump.

There was a point earlier this year when it looked like we might see John Hillcoat‘s The Wettest County by the end of the year. The Weinstein Company picked up the film, originally called The Wettest County in the World, at Cannes, and it seemed reasonable to assume that a bootlegging tale from the director of The Proposition and The Road starring Tom Hardy and Shia LaBeouf might be a solid year-end release.

But the Weinsteins, focused as ever on awards season, have already pegged The Artist, The Iron Lady and My Week With Marilyn as the company’s year-end contenders. So The Wettest County is now set to arrive in April 2012. Read More »